Tiltable-bed latch.



ATTORNEY- Naikan QMerriZl PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

N. C. MERRILL. TILTABLE BED LATCH. APPLICATION TILED SEPT 18, 1907 WITNESSES.

a Wain/ml NATHAN C. MERRILII, 'OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADAv TILTABLE-BED LATCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN O. MERRILL,

citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Vancouver, in the Province of BritishColumbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tiltable-Bed Latches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved latch for securing in the upright position a tiltable or upwardly folding bed. In the use of beds of this class, although every effortmay be made to counterbalance the downward tendency of the weight so as to avoid shock when t 1e foot of the bed reaches the floor, the variable weight of the bedding or a variation in the position of it renders it dithcult of correct adjustment, and a general preference is experienced on the part of the operator to steady the downward movement of the bed by the hand,'even although it be correctly balanced It is to meet this preference that the latch which is the subject of this application has been devised,

Where th'elateh operates on the footof the bed when in the uprightposition the person lowering it must stand to one side near the head to release it, and the foot of the bed can then only be steadied by the side application of one hand which necessitates an awkward position on the part of the operator. I purpose therefore to appl the latch to the head of the bed, which is the end adjacent to the fioor when the bed is uptilted, and to 0 crate such latch by the foot, whereby both ands are left free to steady the bed downward.

The invention is fully described in the following specification reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation and part section of the latch, Fig. 2, a front elevation and part section of the same, Fig. 3, a perspective view of the two latch members detached, and Fig. 4, aside elevation showing the application of the latch to an uptilted bed mounted on a rotatable anel, the adjacent supporting bracket being removed.

In these drawings 2 represents the wall or rotatable panel to which the bed is attached, 3 being the frame of the bed and 4 the su porting brackets in which the bed is ivotal y mounted at 5. To the lower part 0 the wa l or panel 2, below the position occupied by the head of the bed when uptilted, is secured Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 18, 1907.

Patented Aug. 1 1, 1908. Serial No. 393,516.

wardly curved'slightly so that it may be conveniently operated by the toe of the person lowering the bed while standing in a osition in front of it to steady its downwar movement when released. v

Sccu rod to the head of the bed frame 3 is a latch plate 9 having, toward the outer side when the bedis uptllted, a downwardly projecting latch member 10 dc'si ned to enter the slot 7 of the resilient member 6.

The retaining face 11 of the latch is angled as shown in Fig. 1 so that the resiliency of the member 6 acting against the slope of the retaining face of the latch member will exert an effort tending to close the foot or '11 per end of the bed tightly against the we or panel and avoid play when in the'uptilted position.

The sides of the pro'ecting latch member 10 are slo ed toward t e omt so that they will readi y enter the latdh aperture 7 in a possible variation in the alin'ement of the two members.

To release the bed the operator stands immediately in front and places the toe of'the foot npon the pedal extension 8 pressing it down until the member 6 is free from engagemont with theilatch member 10 when the bed is free to turn on its ivots and the foot of it may be lowered gent y to the floor. In up wardly raising it again as the latch member a 10 approaches in the direction of the arrow 12 it will depress the resilient member 6 and when the latch member comes opposite to the slotted aperture 7 the member 6 will spring upward and secure the bed in the upright position, indicatin by the snap that the bed secured the slbpo of the engaging face 11 tending to hold the upper end or foot of the bed tightly againstthe panel as before ox )lained. v

Iaving now particularly described my invention and the manner of its use,l hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

In a tiltable bed, a downwardly rojecting latch member secured to the head or lower end of the bed when uptilted, and a resilient latch member secured to the wall or panel on which the bed is pivotally mounted and projecting outwardly adjacent to the clownwardly projecting latch member, and having its end pro'ected beyond' the plane of the bottom of t e bed when u -tilted to form a. foot engaging member, sai resilient member having an elongated aperture to receive the downwardly projecting latch member, said downwardly projectin latch member formed 10 member, and said resilient latch member having a. right angled portion by means of which it is secured to the wall or panel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NATHAN c. MERRILL.

Witnesses: I

ROWLAND BRITTAIN, CLIVE S. CARMAN. 

